Dragon tales
by breathing is over-rated
Summary: Sherlock and John are in the world of Eragon. Sherlock/John Don't like, don't read.
1. Chapter 1

1

Smoke billowed from the roughly assembled bonfire and stretched through the air, casting a shadow over the moon's bright gaze. John Watson, the only doctor in the town of Hisemour- a small town just outside of Ceunon, threw the last chunk of wood into the blaze then walked away, heading back into the throng of people. There weren't many job options in a small settlement like Hisemour but he could have done any of them. The doctor rubbed his aching shoulder, it had been punched through with an arrow while he was helping to defend the town. Being the only one with medical knowledge, he mostly patched it up himself but eventually had to instruct one of the towns women how to stitch up the back. Even though it was many years ago, the shoulder still troubled him. The woman who stitched it up was the only female in the town to see him with his shirt off, he was self conscious and didn't like his body. The women however; did like the stories they'd heard and so he had girls practically flocking to be his bride but he couldn't understand why. He was shorter than average and had sandy blond hair, which he kept cropped. From his appearance, he should be shunned, every other man, even those younger than him, had a tall, muscular build with dark hair. He was the black sheep, so to speak, and it seemed to work for him.

The strange thing was, he was treated with the utmost respect by everyone. The whole town saw him as their guiding light, their candle in the dark. He had done so much, not once putting his own needs in front of others, whether he knew them or not. So it wasn't surprising that they took him into the forest with provisions to last a week, a bow, quiver and a sword when the dark king stretched out his power to their settlement. Demanding to know where the blond doctor was. No one knew why he had been requested but they sure as hell wasn't going to give him up without a fight. John made his way into the forest, as far as he dared, and set up camp in the most sheltered area he could find. There was a distinct chill in the air, one that forecast morning frost, he gathered twigs and leaves then laid them on the ground. Once he knew there was nothing else that could be done to stave off what was to come, he sat himself down and took from his pack a woven blanket. The dusk call of bird song had just begun, the sound relaxed the doctor as he lay back and closed his eyes, slipping into a thankfully blissful sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

2

A chilling breeze whipped around John, rousing him from his sleep. His stomach growled and he realised he hadn't had anything since the previous day. In the pack, he found a lump of meat, courtesy of the butcher, two loaves of bread, dried fruit and a few herbs. John broke off a handful of one of the loaves then put the rest back, he didn't know how long he'd be camping and he didn't want to hunt unless he absolutely had to. A small bird hopped into the camp, watching him warily. John liked to see the animals, he liked how their behaviour varied from species to species and also from animal to animal. Each was different. This bird had a bright line going down each wing and yellow plumage on it's front. The doctor broke off a bit of the bread and gently threw it so it landed near the bird. After a few curious glances, the animal ate what was there then left again in small hopping movements. John smiled as he finished his meal then got ready to go for a walk.

To those who knew it, the forest was alive. John sometimes felt like even the trees were living and breathing, watching over those who inhabit their world. It offered him a great sense of safety to just be among the roots and shrubbery, seemingly blocked off from the rest of the world. His stroll didn't take him far, only a half a league. He had found that it was best to stay close to your camp, especially when someone might arrive at any moment with important news. Night was already falling again by the time he settled back in his camp. He felt the overpowering feeling that he was being watched.

* * *

><p>John heard rustling and looked over to see a young boy from the village enter the camp.<p>

'How are things?' John asked. The boy subconsciously shuddered.

'You have got to get away from here. I don't know what they want with you but they've got these demons. They look like us in shape but they click to each other and their breath smells like rotting flesh.' John kept his emotions in check, panic would not help him in this situation.

'I should go back.' The boy froze, then spoke in a slightly louder voice,

'No! you can't go ba-' The whoosh of the arrow caught both men off guard. The arrow shaft sailed straight and buried itself into the back of the young boys head. John cried out as he lay the young man carefully to the ground. He grabbed his back and weaponry and fled into the forest. The lad was dead before he hit the ground, nothing John could have done would have saved him. All he could do now was get as far away as possible and hope the creatures, what ever they were, didn't find him. The doctor's leg muscles burned and his chest screamed at him but he didn't stop for another half an hour.

* * *

><p>The blond slumped against the trunk of a tree, unable to run anymore. His chest heaved with every intake of breath and his ears pounded. After a few minutes, the various pains subsided somewhat and he took the time to take account of his surroundings. He was further in to the forest than he had ever been before, so much so that he hadn't a clue where he was. All bearings had slipped away from him. He heard the distinct rustle of footfalls coming from somewhere to his left only these were much softer than anyone he knew, and much quicker too. Even as he stood, he body screamed at him. He took off further into the forest. The footsteps were constantly closing the gap between him and them. His energy reserves dwindled and John didn't know what kept him running. His foot caught on something unseen in the ground and he turned to face the cloaked figures which closed in around him. Bizarre clicking noises filled his ears and one drew a sword. John looked up at the creatures, deciding to stare them down instead of squeezing his eyes shut and trying to forget. The creature with the sword brought his weapon so that it was above the doctor then swiftly sent the blade downwards.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

3

A red hot light flashed in the space between John and the creatures around him. The cloaked figures shot backwards, each screaming in a high pitched wail that filled John's head with pounding. The doctor's eyes adjusted again and he saw a tall, lanky figure-again human in shape-stood less than a metre away in a fighting stance. John didn't have a clue what was happening or why it was happening to him but he was just glad to be alive. The animals that hadn't been scared off by the doctors heavy footfalls had since ran to the safety of their nests. John tried to move away but his whole body felt like lead. He turned his head to watch the creatures which stood before him. His saviour spoke in a weird tongue that John had never heard of before. Upon hearing this, the clocked figures turned tail and fled faster than the blond had ever thought possible. He felt his consciousness slipping away from him as he saw the tall figure turn to face him. Words were exchanged but John was too far down the spiral to make any sense of what was said. He somehow felt weightless, but the thoughts to accompany the feeling were lost in the ever expanding void that filled Johns mind.

* * *

><p>When the doctors eyes opened again, he was in a large open room. It walls were carefully crafted and the ceiling seemed to have a section which could move away to reveal the night sky. John sighed, he didn't quite know why. It just seemed to be the right thing to do. He tried to move but quickly found that it was impossible, his body seemed to have been somehow disconnected from his head. Something told John that he should be panicking about this, or at least slightly disturbed, but his mind couldn't seem to find the will to care. The bed beneath him was soft, by far the most comfortable thing he had ever lay on before, and there was a slight breeze coming from what he suspected was an open window somewhere off to his right. The muffled sounds of a voice flooded his ears and it took a moment for him to understand what was being said,<p>

'-and try not to move, you won't be able to and it will only frustrate you. It's ok, you are safe here. I gather you are confused so we shall talk again in a short while. Until then, I suggest you rest.' The voice ended but whatever presence had spoken hadn't left the room yet. John didn't know why, but he felt safe in this person's company. He figured it was probably because of the blatantly obvious fact that this person, who ever he was, had saved his life. John closed his eyes again, deciding to make the most of the advice he had been given. Perhaps, when he awoke, he'd feel better. The doctors breathing slowed until his chest was barely moving. His consciousness had long since walked away and he returned to a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

4

John woke this time to feel the weight of something on the end of his bed. He looked down, surprised that his body was actually listening to him now, to see the tall man who had saved him before. He noticed that he didn't ache anymore. He was about to speak when the man turned round and caused the doctors breath to catch in his throat. The figure had high cheekbones and piercingly light blue eyes. His skin was pale in tone and, even from the distance, John could tell it was soft. What was the most unnerving feature was his ears, which each ended in a point that poked through his dark curly hair. The man seemed to know the effect he had caused immediately and fluently stood from the bed, then made his way to a stool which jutted out from one of the walls at the other side of the room. John realised his mistake as soon as the man had stood up and silently admonished himself for it, _surely he knew better than to judge by looks? _At this, the figure seemed to relax slightly, though he didn't return to where he had sat before. John's forehead creased with confusion.

'Why?' He asked the figure. The man leaned back

'That could be any number of questions you are asking.' John nodded and spoke again,

'Why did you save me? You don't even know me.' The man hesitated.

'Because I was there and I have made it my mission to kill any Ra'zac I come across.' The doctor was a little put down by this comment, though he tried to not let it show on his face. The tall male looked at him and seemed to see all the questions which seemed to flow freely from the blond man. 'I suppose I should introduce myself to you, John Hamish Watson, I am Sherlock Holmes, one of fifty three elves which inhabit the elven city of Osilon and I am also the only known dragon rider in living among the trees of Du Weldenvarden.' There was so much information that it took John a while to realise what had been said. He didn't know what he found more disturbing; that this man, _Sherlock_, knew his name or that he was supposedly a dragon rider. The elf part, he had worked out for himself but he didn't quite know where to start when it came to follow up questions.

'I entered your mind, that's how I know your name. I'm sorry but I had to before you would be allowed to enter, even at that it was a struggle to again your acceptance. Morrisa is practically itching to meet you consciously, she hasn't left my thoughts since we found you.' The doctor's face became clouded with confusion which caused the elf to smirk, 'No, you won't be able to hear her unless she enters your mind-which she can do at any time she wishes-I asked her not to until you've seen her because even other elves sometimes have problems with her entering their mind.' John nodded, he could see how having a voice suddenly appear in your head could cause mild discomfort…or insanity.

* * *

><p>Sherlock Holmes had sat back on the bed somewhere amongst the in-depth conversation, John wasn't quite sure where. They talked for what seemed like hours, it turned out that though the elf had said he had done a thorough search of the humans mind, he had merely looked at the surface. He valued the privacy of ones mind and preferred to find out about John through verbal communication. Because of this, John found that he couldn't help but open himself up. This man had had the chance to learn everything about him, every single dark little secret, and he hadn't because he respected the privacy of this person he hardly knew. That was something that inspired trust, John had never truly trusted anyone before but he felt himself falling, opening the door in his mind which had been padlocked since he was a child. It was about time he let someone in, it didn't matter that that someone wasn't the same species. Sherlock was enraptured by his tales of life in the human world, he seemed thoroughly interested in every mundane thing that happened there. When the question and answer session had finished, the elf stood and turned to the human on his bed, offering his hand. John took it gladly and they walked down the stairs, the blond soon realised that the room he had been in was a sort of treehouse, though how it was made he'd doubted if he'd ever know. The pair walked through what seemed to be a great city of treehouses yet not another being was in sight, John looked at the man he was with, the tall male seemed to move so gracefully it was hard to believe that he wasn't actually floating. He also appeared to want to walk faster, the doctor remembered the tales they were told as children. These said that the elves could run so fast that they seemed to disappear completely. John upped his pace, which was easily matched by the other. The two stopped when they reached a large clearing in the trees. Sherlock looked up to the sky and John followed his gaze to see a dark shadow block the sun as it made it's way downward to the ground.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

5

The black scales glinted in the light as a shadow cast over the ground where the men stood. Great wings beated in a slow, steady pulse until the creature finally set down on the ground. John's breath had caught in his throat, he was held in her gaze. The doctor had never seen an animal so beautiful and the look see gave him was brimming with her vast intellect. He suddenly felt that he wasn't by himself in his mind then a clear female voice spoke,

'_Hello, John Watson, I'm glad to see you are wake. My name is Morrisa but I suspect you already knew that' _John nodded shakily, unable to comprehend if he should answer and how he should answer. He heard a chuckle behind him and the elf walked past and wrapped his hands round the dragons nose, pressing their foreheads together. There was a deep rumbling sound which was joined by a pearly laugh. It took a moment for the human to realise that the strange creatures in front of him were sharing a conversation he couldn't hear. The two turned their attentions on John.

'You can come closer, she'd not going to harm you. In fact, she has rather taken a shine to you.' The human made his way to the strange creatures. He laid a hand on the hard scales and was suddenly lifted into a previously unseen saddle.

His confusion was met with Sherlock's smooth voice,

'Don't worry, I've strapped your legs so you won't fall. Enjoy this, Morrisa has never asked me if she can let someone else ride her before.' Then he felt the presence in his mind again, this time it felt nice.

_Are you ready?_ John didn't know how to speak with his mind. He decided to try thinking what he wanted to say, that seemed to work.

_Not in the slightest, lets go._ The rumbling laugh filled the clearing again as the wings unfolded and began to beat slowly, lifting them off the ground. As the earth pulled away from them, John steeled himself and looked down to see Sherlock who caught his gaze, a look overflowing with pride, and gave a small wave.

_So, John, how do you like the air?_ John smiled.

_This is amazing. It's so beautiful, peaceful._ Morrisa banked left, giving a show of the forest below. From this height, John could really appreciate how large the forest actually was, he could barely see the edges of the tree line and the only thing that gave away the existence of the humans outside the forest was the faint wisps of smoke that rose into the air. John's stomach clenched. His town didn't light fires at this time in the day.

_Morrisa, get to that human town. I need to see it._ The dragon seemed to feel his anxiety as she sped twofold towards the settlement. When they got just close enough, John froze. The town was no longer standing, smoke billowed from the ruined remains of the houses. Bodies scattered the ground and cloaked figures darted from ruin to ruin, searching for survives. The doctor cried out as the dragon turned back and flew to the clearing.

_There's nothing we could have done, John. _She soothed. The human knew this to be true also, but the over whelming sense of guilt weighed his heart. He had stopped sobbing, tears wouldn't solve anything. Sherlock knew exactly what had happened, John realised that the dragon must have told him while they were on the way back. The human closed his eyes and willed the world away, he didn't fight when the elf lifted him out of the saddle and he tried to take a shake step but is legs fell from underneath him. The tall male lifted him and easily carried him back to the treehouse.

* * *

><p>When the human came back to his senses, he was alone in the familiar room. Next to the bed, he saw a bowl filled with water and a towel next to it. He subconscious smiled and washed himself. On the end of the bed, he found a set of clothes. They were the same type that the elf wore, John decided that it must be the way all elves dress and he changed quickly. The clothes fit perfectly, as if he ad been measured for them. The long sleeved tunic was a light tan colour while the trousers were the same dark brown as the tree bark. John walked down the steps to find the elf waiting at the bottom for him.<p>

'I had wondered if you had awoken, I know humans tend to move a lot in their sleep.' John nodded, he noticed that there the shadows moved ever so slightly.

'You said you were one of fifty three elves, so why are the rest avoiding me?' Sherlock looked a little disheartened by the question.

'They don't trust you. They are incredibly annoyed with me for saving you. They would never say it to my face, because in the social chain I am the highest power, but they wished you had died. Then they would have one less human to deal with. They can't really be blamed, elves have long memories. When your kind first came into Alagalësia, we got on well, but when the dark king drove us to live in the forests, mercilessly slaughtering our kind the way you do animals. We have had no contact with humans for at least 50 years now.' A question wormed it's way into the short males mind and wouldn't go away. In the end he asked it, if only to get some peace,

'How old are you?' Sherlock coughed slightly.

'Well, elves live longer than humans.' John gestured for him to continue, 'I am 74 this year.' John blinked. _74? _The number was almost beyond his grasp. The elf looked at his new found friend,

'Well, John Watson, I can safely say I have never met anyone quite like you. I would have expected you to be scared or angry with my kind, with me, for the pure hatred. You seem un-phased by the fact that the vast majority of my kind wishes you dead. How ever, you are slightly unnerved by our difference in age.' John blushed,

'I have lived with humans long enough to know that we are fickle, easy to anger over nothing, often let ourselves become possessed with a hatred of something to the point were we want to destroy everything it ever owned. We live in fear of the dark king, the same one which had just burned the only home I have ever know to the ground. Yes, I can see how your kind must hate us. I was just a little surprised by your age, I mean, you look younger than my but you are over twice my age.' John was suddenly aware of another presence close by, he turned to see another elf approaching. This one held the air of authority in this hands and seemed to be able to play it to what ever tune he wished.

'Sherlock,' Even his voice sound commanding, 'I would appreciate it if you would be so kind to bring your…_friend_ with me to the hall.' Without another word, the figure turned and left.

'Who was that?' John asked in a low voice.

'That,' Sherlock answered, 'Is Mycroft, the head of this city-what you would call a mayor-he also happens to be my older brother. And he uses that against me at every conceivable time.' The human nodded, having an older sister he knew what that felt like. His heart panged when he remember he no longer had a sister. The blond felt a hand rest lightly on his shoulder, offering the support he needed. He smiled at the elf

'Shall we go?' Sherlock gestured in front of them and John nodded his affirmative.


	6. Chapter 6

6

The hall was huge and well decorated, though everything still seemed to be attached to the wooden walls, it was al so alive that John wondered for a moment if it actually was. Sherlock led him though to another large room in which sat the elf who had approached them earlier. Morrisa had walked in behind them, the doors had obviously been built to allow for dragons to fit as there was still plenty of space above her. On the way over, Sherlock had told John to stay as close to the dragon as possible, no one would dare try to harm him with her so close by. The human gladly agreed to this, he did feel safer with the black creature by his side. Why that was, he didn't know, he was sure that if something was bigger and stronger than you, you should have more than enough good reason to be fearful and run for your life. Morrisa had found his comment hilarious when he had shared it with her, he found he could reach out with his mind. Though he had only tried it with the dragon. What was interesting was that Sherlock chuckled too, that proud look was in his eyes directed once again at John, it seemed that the two shared a link, they didn't have to speak to be in each others mind. Mycroft coughed politely to bring the attention back to himself. When he had the three looking at him, he spoke.

'John, I suspect Sherlock hasn't told you anything worth while knowing yet, so I'll fill you in. the elves decided we wouldn't allow another human into our settlements many years ago because you cause havoc and cannot be trusted. Sherlock here, has broken this rule and yet can't be punished for it because there is no one above him who could admonish him for it. For you however, it is a different story.' This was met with a low growl and a fixated stare. 'Please, Sherlock and Morrisa. You are both being childish about this. The first rule is that now he is here, he won't by allowed to leave. He is to be confined to Sherlock's treehouse, unless with Sherlock. He is not allowed to fly Morrisa and is not allowed near the elves.' John was gob smacked, he had known that it would be hard living away from everything he had ever known but this was insane.

'You may as well put me in prison,' He said, a little harsher than he meant. 'I would have about the same amount of freedom.' Sherlock held his brothers gaze for an unknown amount of time, neither of them moved. Finally the dragon rider spoke, still staring down his brother, 'Morrisa, take John to the retreat. I will follow when I am finished here. John, get in the saddle.' John hesitated, this was defying the head elves words in front of his face. The dragon knelt and moved her wing so that he could climb on board. 'Get in the saddle or she will carry you in her claws. Either way is fine.' The human hoisted himself into the saddle and strapped his legs in the way Sherlock had done before. The guardsmen at the gate held the doors firmly closed but it only took a growl and smoke from the creatures nostrils to make them lose their nerve and allow the two to pass.

* * *

><p>Outside, the elves had gathered round to see what would become of the human. Gasps filled the crowd as they saw Morrisa carrying the thing. The dragon growled as her voice boomed into every mind outside,<p>

_This _human_ has a name, John Watson, and you will call him that. He is under my protection. You shall not harm him in any way._ The elves scattered away from the raged animal as she took off into the crimsoning sky.

_What is the retreat?_ John asked once they were flying at a comfortable speed.

_It is a place that only dragons and dragon riders can reach, mostly because only they know where it is. Each rider has a different retreat. It is where we go when we wish to be alone or need to lay low for a while. It is a peaceful place, I enjoy being there._ Once Morrisa started her descent, John could see what she was talking about. The clearing had a small path that lead to a large cave with running water just outside. Inside, the rooms were openly large, spacious enough for the dragon and four people to live in comfort. The kitchen area was stocked with food and John helped himself to fruit and bread.

* * *

><p>After a couple of hours, Sherlock entered the cavern. John smiled to see him but then blushed slightly and backed away.<p>

'I'm sorry.' He said, sitting down. The elf lifted the others head,

'Don't be. Me and my brother have had words. He will change his mind given time. Until then, we can live here. It was about time I took a retreat.' He looked at the human. 'You know when someone is in your mind, don't you?' John nodded, slightly confused. 'No, most humans can't. But, if you can do that…' The elf turned round and picked up a rock, with the uttering of a few words, then made it float an inch or so off the palm of his hand, the human watched in amazement as it changed from brown to red to white, the steam from the air rose off it, showing it's immense heat. The rock was then through at John's face. He put his hands up and waited for the stone to hit. When it didn't he lowered his hands to find that the stone had lodged itself in one of the cavern walls. He looked at Sherlock, eye begging for an answer. The elf smirked,

'I didn't do that. You did.' John blinked and looked at the half embedded stone. 'I had wondered if you possessed magic. Humans don't. which means, you aren't a full human. This is actually good for you. Before I take you back, though, I think we should practise magic. It can kill you if you aren't trained. John's mind suddenly caught up with him.

'You threw a blazingly hot rock at my face to see if I possessed magical powers? What if I hadn't? What would you have done then? _'oh, I'm sorry you know have a huge burn completely covering your face. It was an experiment.'_ What the hell, Sherlock?'

'It wasn't hot.' This stumped the blond for a second.

'What?'

'It wasn't hot. I changed the colour and made the water condense and steam around it to make it appear hot. I would never intentionally hurt you John, you must know this.' John calmed down immensely.

'I'm sorry, I-' His apology was cut short by the elf.

'Don't. It was my fault but if I had explained before I did, you wouldn't have been in the position to feel you had to untap your magic.'

They walked out into the sunlight and down the hillside to the bank of the crystal blue river which flowed silently through the forest. John's fingers subconsciously stroked the fabric of his tunic.

'Do you make any clothes from sheep's wool?' He asked, he realised how much he missed the feel of wool on his skin. These clothes, he didn't know what they were made from, were more comfortable by far but gave the place he was in a dream like quality. He had to keep wondering if it was real.

'No, we don't but I can get you some if you like.' John thanked the other and then they turned their minds to the task before them.


	7. Chapter 7

7

'First, I tell you the basics.' The pair were sat cross-legged, facing each other, by the waters edge. 'Don't try to do anything too extreme. The magic comes from you. While it is possible to draw it from your surrounding area, I doubt you would be able to do it for a while. Bringing back the dead is impossible, don't even try it. Also, magic is affected by distance. The further it has to travel, the more energy you use.' Sherlock checked to see if the man in front of him was keeping up. Once he was happy he continued. 'The magic we use is constructed on a basis of words in what we called The Ancient Language. Everything has a word in this tongue and it allows us to use the magic how we wish to.' John caught slightly on this and the elf expanded it for him, 'Imagine you wanted to set fire to a tree. You could do this just by untapping the magic as you did before and thinking about setting fire to the tree. But if another thought suddenly came to mind, say you house, you would set fire to that instead. The Ancient Language allows us to say what we mean. If you tell the tree to set fire and think of your house, the tree will still set fire.' The confusion lifted from John's features. The taller male smiled then his expression turned serious, 'Remember I said everything had a name?' The other nodded 'Well that includes people. Each person has a name all of there own. Elves instinctively know theirs and some, given time, can work out another's by looking through that others mind. If someone knows your true name, they can command everything about you. You will have no free will. If you ever find out your name, allow only those you trust completely to know it.'

After the 'rule' session, the two men stood and Sherlock began to teach his new apprentice how to control his magic and started showing him the different words in the Ancient Language. The elf was deeply surprised by the amount of power the young man possessed and his ability to pick up things with relative ease. They carried the training right through the day, undisturbed by any other creature that inhabited the Du Weldenvarden. With every passing minute, Sherlock felt he unlocked another layer to the amazing man who stood no more than two steps away from him. Every movement, every sentence he spoke, joined with what they had already been through in Sherlock's mind as he tried to piece together the enigma that was John Hamish Watson.

* * *

><p>By the time the sun was setting, he had already progressed to making water rise and form an orb in his hand, which was exceedingly harder than it looked. The pair made their way back to the cavern, both were thoroughly worn out. Sherlock moved to the kitchen and took out a pot full of a liquid John didn't recognise. He poured to glasses and handed one to the blond. The doctor was wary but he put his lips to the cup and took a sip. The drink had a warming affect on his insides, it had a fruity taste and seemed to restore his energy levels. 'You should get some rest. We have another tiring day ahead of us.' John nodded and lay back on the bed. The covers were soft and enticed him into a dreamless sleep. Once he was oblivious to the world, Sherlock looked at the dragon.<p>

_Do it._


	8. Chapter 8

8

John woke, feeling slightly strange, and got out of the bed. The sun glinted though the opening of the cavern where it hit Morrisa's scales and danced along the walls. Sherlock was already awake, sat in the sunlight at the mouth of the cavern. As if hearing the other awake, he turned round and smiled. John smiled back tentatively and got dressed. He hadn't been awake four minutes when a plate of fruit was pushed into his hands and he was given three minutes to eat before they left.

Sherlock and John made their way to the same spot that they trained in the day before. Once they had sat down, the elf turned to the other man,

'What is the name for fire?' John answered without hesitation,

'Brisinger.' Sherlock nodded.

'Water?'

'Adurna'

'Mountain?'

'Fell'

'Stone?'

'Stenr'

'lightning?' John frowned, he hadn't been taught this one yesterday but his lips moved of their own accord,

'kveykva.' Sherlock smiled and John's confusion only deepened. He looked to the elf for an explanation, which the other gladly gave.

'It took just under a decade to teach the last human who entered here the Ancient Language, so while you slept, Morrisa gave you all the knowledge that she had on the subject. You now know every word in our language and how the language works. So, say, if you wanted to ask someone something and you don't want them to lie, you can speak in the Ancient Tongue and if they are indeed trying to be truthful, they will do the same.' He saw the expression on the others face. 'Ah, I must have forgot to mention that yesterday, it is impossible to lie in the Ancient Language.' The blond nodded, he doubted the elf knew why because if he did he would have said it. The training carried on much the same as the day before, only without having to stop to learn new phrases.

* * *

><p>When the two stopped for a lunch break, Sherlock gave John a metal chain necklace with a shiny black stone as a pendant. John put it round his neck then asked what it was for,<p>

'It can hold energy for you to use, it already has some in it but I would advise you to stock it up when ever you have energy to spare. When you use this, you don't use the energy in yourself at the time but neither do you draw energy from what is around you.' John tentatively extended his mind to the black orb, he had been practising it with Morrisa when he got the chance but he was still shaky and he couldn't usually hold his mind out for long. Once he got to the orb, he felt a power inside. The energy was more than he had ever felt before but the stone still felt empty somehow, as if it could hold many thousand times more than what was inside. John retracted his mind and thanked the other for the gift, he knew it would come in very useful at some point.

* * *

><p>Again, the sun set far too early for either man's liking as they made their way back up the slope to the cavern. Sherlock looked up and sighed.<p>

'It's going to rain tomorrow.' John looked up, the sky was as clear as he'd ever seen it, _surely the elf was mistaken? _Then again, the taller male held the air of a man who had never been mistaken in his life.

'Now that's not true. I have been mistaken before and I do occasionally get things wrong. Just not often.' John laughed, though the other hadn't entered his mind, he knew exactly what the blond had been thinking. To any sane person, that would have been disturbing to say the least but John found it amusing and fascinating. He chuckled to himself, he had often been told he must be insane, though it was because he had never taken any interest in the woman that had flocked before him. The guilt twinged again but it wasn't as strong and it only lasted for less than a second before fading back. He thoughts were interrupted by the elf's low voice,

'I don't think I need to teach you anymore about magic, you have learnt all you'll need. You're fighting ability is quite astounding for a human, however; you would not last ten seconds against an elf.' Anger flared behind John's eyes, Sherlock sensed this and handed him a stick. They stood, facing each other at the mouth of the cavern. From inside, Morrisa growled.

'Of course I'll be careful. What do you take me for?' Then the elf attacked. The speed at which he did so almost made John freeze up. His body worked independently from his mind and brought the stick up the block the attack. They sparred for what felt like hours, though the blond knew it had been less than a minute. The elf moved with stamina and grace, the likes of which the doctor had never seen before. John suddenly felt he legs fall from underneath him and he found himself flat on his back with the tip of a stick pressed lightly against his neck. He was panting hard but Sherlock wasn't even a little breathless. The elf offered a hand to the man on the floor,

'You lasted long than I thought you would.' John nodded and accepted the hand, pulling himself up.

* * *

><p>In a smaller room, just off the main living space, there was a bathroom complete with a shower. John had found this while he had been waiting for Sherlock to return from the hall. The cold water spayed on his back and soothed his aching shoulder, he could have had the temperature at what ever he wanted but he enjoyed the feeling of cold water on his skin. Once he had finished, he changed into the clothes that Sherlock had put on the chair just outside for him. He pulled on the trousers, then lifted the long-sleeved tunic and couldn't help but smile. It was the same tan colour as his old one but it was made of wool stroked his fingers along the fabric. He put the tunic on, it reminded him of home half forgotten memories flooded back to him.<p>

_It was summer, Harry had left the house in a sprint. She wanted freedom to live her life but dad had given her three men to choose from. Being 16, she was expected to marry. The problem was that she didn't like any of the suitors. Mostly because she didn't like men. John was the only one in the family that knew about her…differences and had sworn not to tell anyone. Clara, her secret girlfriend of two years, broke up their relationship as soon as she realised that Harry was to be married to someone else. Dad found out about his daughters sexuality then and she stormed out, yells of rage spewing from the house behind her. _

_John had watched her leave from the barn and ran to meet her, he carried a pack with spare clothes, a dagger and food. Though he was younger, John had always been the one who looked after his sister. He didn't know why, it just felt like the right thing to do. Harry thanked him and handed him a note. Dad had thought it important that both his children be literate so they both knew how to read and write with relative ease. The blond woman then took the pack and left into the night. John ran back to the barn and opened the letter;_

_My dearest John,_

_I'm sorry I have to leave you. I don't know if I'll come back. I always thought it strange, the only one who truly understood me was my younger brother. Still, I guess that is the way of the world. _

_Go to my room, I have left you a parting gift on my bed. _

_Please, don't look for me._

_Harry_

xxx

_John ran to the house and climbed through the window into his sisters room. On the bed, there lay a item of clothing. The boy lifted it to find it was a woollen jumper, one that Harry had made. His sister didn't like to sow or weave because she saw them as 'women jobs'. Instead she preferred to work in the field. John hugged the jumper close, she wouldn't make any clothing for anyone but him and now she was gone._

* * *

><p>John came back to the real world to find tear tracks trailing down his face. Sherlock was watching him curiously from the seat in the kitchen. The doctor washed his face, then tried to smile. The end result was a cracked, lifeless imitation of what he was trying to achieve but it would have to do. The elf sat down next to him and wrapped an arm round his shoulders. Morrisa spread a wing to envelop the two men so that they were pressed against her side and the three fell into silent slumber while the clouds moved overhead.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

9

John woke to the steadily beating of the man clinging to him and the muffled patter of rain through the warm wings of that covered both men. They must have spent the whole night on the floor because John's shoulder made him hiss with pain as he tried to sit up. Sherlock's eyes flickered open and the wing moved up and away from the two men, folding back against Morrisa's side.

'John, take off your shirt.' The doctor was about to question his motives but decided against it and pulled the tunic over his head, hissing again as he moved his shoulder. Once the blonds chest was bare, a hand moved across the scar which had been left in the wake of arrow shaft. The elf went to look at his friends back.

'The arrow went straight through.' John offered. The other nodded then began rubbing his thumb over it in a circular motion, easing the tension out.

'How long have you had this?' The low voice asked.

'About twelve years.' John didn't remember exactly when or where it had happened, only that it had hurt. A lot.

'I could fix it, you know.' The dark haired man said, 'Morrisa could make you stronger than any human. Let your body take on the traits of an elf.' John thought about what had been offered. The fact that they had asked instead of just going ahead, like they did with the language, showed the full force of what they were suggesting.

'I would happily become stronger, faster and more graceful. But I want to keep the scar. It's part of who I am now.' Sherlock nodded and looked at Morrisa. The dragon dipped her head and touched the palm of Johns left hand. Energy and magic coursed through his body, racing down every nerve and vein. Intense white pain flashed through him and he dropped to the floor, unconscious, the elf caught him just before he hit the ground and laid him carefully down. The dragon looked at the blond,

_Mycroft is not going to like this._ Sherlock chuckled and rubbed the short scales behind her ear.

_Well, what can he do about it? Nothing. I suppose it's going to be a lot of getting used to, having three voices in our heads instead of two._ Sherlock's voice became curious. _I didn't think dragons could have more than one rider. The stories all say that the eggs only hatched when they met with the presence of their one and only rider._ Morrisa chuckled.

_He is part of you. Most riders didn't marry because they couldn't stand the thought of out living their counterpart. Not one asked their dragon to make their better half a rider also. _Sherlock became slightly edgy and his feelings seeped through the link._ Oh course you love him. You were the most cold hearted person I knew, except maybe for your brother. When you saw him about to die, what did you feel._ The elf thought for a moment.

_It felt like when I nearly lost you. _He thought eventually. The dragon growled with approval,

_Exactly. I'm a part of you and so his he. _The link fell silent then the dragon spoke again,_ Oh, he told me when we flew here how he felt about you. Once he awakes he'll know how you feel about him. You can't keep that secret, Sherlock. You never could._


	10. Chapter 10

10

Everything was brighter, louder and more finely tuned before. John felt different, like his mind had been put in another body.

_Morning_, Sherlock's voice rang clearly through the blonds head but it was accompanied by something else. It took John a moment to realise that it was emotion, happiness and slight anxiety to be precise. The doctor found that his mind was now somehow connected to not only Sherlock's but to Morrisa's too, as the dragon gave her own morning welcome.

_Uh, what happened?_ John's head felt fuzzy, as if it was still warming up.

_You passed out. All dragon riders_ _do it when they first connect with their dragon. You've been out slightly longer than most. It was probably because you had more than one creature to connect to. _The conversation that Sherlock and Morrisa had the night before pushed through the mental barrier before the taller male could stop them.

_Morrisa!_ His voice hissed, knowing full well it had been her that engineered the little plan. What ever the elf had been about to do was abruptly destroyed when he found himself flying to the bed. A pair of lips crushed against his own and his body moved by it's self before his mind could catch up to what he was doing. After they broke away, John rolled off the other.

'I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me-' His voice turned into one of surprise as he was tackled to the floor.

'I know exactly what 'came over you' and now it's my turn.' He smiled filthily as John blushed from the obvious innuendo then straddled the doctors hips.

Morrisa had decided to leave for a hunt while her boys got acquainted again. She could still feel the men through the link but it was fainter the further away she got. Though she loved both men a great deal, there were some aspects of their lives that she didn't need to know about. A different voice entered her mind, she hadn't realised she had flown far enough to be contacted by the elves in Orison.

_Morrisa, I would be delighted if you would be so kind as to meet me. There are some things I would like to discuss with you._ The dragon sighed and made the descent, landing in front of the hall. As she landed, the heavens burst into a torrential downpour, from somewhere in the back of her mind, Morrisa felt the smugness flooding from her dark haired elf. She couldn't help but chuckle as she stood before the hall.

The doors opened wide to allow her to enter and Mycroft sat in the same room has he had before.

'Thank you for taking the time to see me, Morrisa.' His voice was politically polite.

_What do you want, Mycroft?_ The dragon asked, in a bored voice she had learned from Sherlock.

'I would like to know what is happening with that human and why my brother hasn't returned yet. These _retreats_ of his don't usually last more than a day, two a most, and yet we are stretching into the forth now.' He gave her a pointed look and she sighed dramatically.

_If you must know, John isn't entirely human and he's even less than he was before now._ Mycroft's eye's widened,

'But that's impossible.' He all but exclaimed. Morrisa smiled, showing her many pointed teeth.

_Clearly not._ The elf thought for a moment.

'Where are they now, if I may be so bold?' The dragon knew he would ask this, he always did, this time she happily sent the pictures of how she left them. The elf blushed brightly and coughed,

'Ah, I see. Well, I think you had best carry on with whatever you were doing before then.' Morrisa lowered her head in what most would see as a bow but what Mycroft knew was her way of saying that she had won and that he should do well to remember his place. With that the creature turned and left, she would pick up a deer on the way back and hopefully the men would be finished.


	11. Chapter 11

11

They weren't. The yell of the blond could be heard for many miles, Morrisa would have to talk to them about this. They couldn't be this way when they were back in Orison, they'd be thrown straight back out again. Not to mention, John seemed to be one who wouldn't be able to stand to much torment from others. It wasn't that he would shy away that she feared, it was that he would end up fighting with whoever gave him grief-which would probably not be started by him-and now, with the power he possessed, he would win undoubtedly. That was were the problem lay. Tension between these human and elven creatures was something that Morrisa never would be able to comprehend. It was all so much easier in the animal world.

The dragon walked in find the men lay in one of the beds. Sherlock was looking rather smug while the blond was resting on the elf's chest, eyes closed and breathing heavily.

_Rather loud, weren't you?_ The black beast jibbed as she lay down. Sherlock chuckled while John blushed slightly more than he had before.

'I..eh, I didn't realise.' The blond said. The men received the sounds the dragon heard from a few miles away, this caused another chuckle and a mortified expression.

'Don't worry John, judging by the way Morrisa is behaving right now, I would say that Mycroft knows full well what we have being doing.' John looked at him then at the dragon.

_It is true._ The shorter man felt the colour drain from his face. He doubted he would ever be able to look that man-no, elf- in the face again.

'Of course you will, we're going back now.' Sherlock swiftly got out of the bed and dressed himself before John had even processed what was happening. When he did, he leapt up and slid into his clothes quicker than he had ever thought possible. Sherlock was already sat in Morrisa's saddle so John leapt up with ease to join him. Sherlock wrapped his arms round John's waist and the three existed the cavern and returned to Orison, much to John's whining and pleading to do otherwise.

During the flight, Sherlock got decidedly bored and nipped John's ears, which were now pointed slightly and stuck up through his still messy hair.

'Sherlock! Will you stop that?' John all but screamed. The elf chuckled darkly,

'That's not what you were saying an hour ago.' The blond tried to ignore the comment and instead focused on the landscape, the trees broke in the familiar gap just ahead of them.

'It's further than you think, you're not used to how more finely tuned your eyesight is.' The low voice rumbled in John's ear then teeth from behind him nipped it again, his hands wandering along the good doctors legs causing a rather loud moan from the doctor.

_Carry on, boys, and I will tip you both off._ Sherlock stopped immediately and sat the rest of the journey without moving a muscle.


	12. Chapter 12

12

The dragon touched down again and was greeted by most of the elves, unsurprisingly Mycroft wasn't one who attended. Now that John looked more elf-like, the people of Orison found it much easier to accept him. Molly, an elf of fifty nine years, smiled sadly as they passed her. Sherlock explained through the link that she had had her eye on him for many years. She had even tried many times to 'ask him out' as the humans called it. Each put down, it seemed, made her more wary but also heightened her need to try again. Now that Sherlock was officially taken, she had nothing to do but smile and wish them the best, as was customary. John nodded and smiled back, pretending not to know what she was sour about. The next elf to see them was a dark haired woman named Sally, she looked at John and said,

'You must be a complete nutcase to be able to stay with the freak for more than five minutes. I don't envy either of you one bit. Though I will warn you, John Watson, this will only lead to suffering.' Then she turned her head and walked away into the trees.

The welcoming was over with after every elf present had given their blessing or just spoken to the couple. The crowd dispersed, allowing the two men to bask in each others company again but it was cut short by the arrival of Mycroft Holmes.

'Brother, you do show up at the worst conceivable times.' The young Holmes said as he rested his head on John's shoulder.

'I wouldn't be your brother if I didn't.' A genuine smile played upon the mayors lips, something John found far more unnerving than the fake smile that he had seen before, at least then he had known that he was hated. 'Sherlock, I am in need of your assistance.' Sherlock gestured for him to continue. 'We have heard of panic of sorts in Farthen Dûr, the queen has forbidden all contact with the varden. But, if you were to, say, take a vacation to the mountains. I've heard that they are very romantic...' The elf nodded then took John's hand and lead his partner away to the treehouse.

* * *

><p>Once back in the room, Sherlock began packing. John couldn't help but admire the speed and single minded determinacy in which his partner conducted the job. He had neatly packed all that they would need, including weaponry, in no more than two hours. <em>God, the man could move<em>. John was ushered out of the house again before he had a chance to relax.

'Why do you get excited by this? And why are we going in the first place?' John asked as they climbed into the saddle once more.

'My mind becomes stagnant without things to do. When I was younger, I used to walk round the city and tell everyone what they had been doing and who they had seen that day. As you can guess, they weren't best pleased by this and most hated me beyond measure. Some still do, though only in the privacy of their own minds. As for your other question, that fact is that we are above the queen in the hierarchy so she cannot order us about, no matter how much she wants to.' The blond nodded. He didn't ask any more on the subject as he could tell it was a bit of a touchy subject. The blond moved forward so that his partner had more room behind him, which-thinking back on the last journey- probably wasn't the best of ideas. The elf behind him chuckled darkly. John thought about blushing but decided he had done enough of that to last a lifetime and so, instead muttered a stern 'Behave' to the other man. Sherlock scoffed and moved his hips slightly, just enough for his partner to feel it. Morrisa growled at him and he stilled again, muttering something about them being 'No fun' and 'spoilsports' the dragon and John huffed their own little laughs before preparing to take back to the sky.


	13. Chapter 13

13

The journey took little over a day, the sun had just begun to set and was casting a hazy glow on the mountainside. John looked round in amazement that the sights that he was now able to see. The various animals below scattered as Morrisa flew overhead, their shadows trailing after them as they ran for the safety of their homes. The dragon banked and slowed until she lightly touched the ground in front of a large waterfall.

_It's been a long time since we were last here._ Morrisa said then she remembered John, _And a first time for one. We must be careful, many of the humans would not have been alive the last time and most of them will be extremely cautious._

_Agreed,_ The dark haired elf drawled. He moved forward so his mouth was level with the blonds' ear,

'Get ready to hold your breath.' He whispered. Then spoke a few words out loud. John couldn't find any reason for why he had said anything. He suddenly found himself underwater, he was about to flail when he realised that he was still attached to Morrisa.

The three surfaced and he looked round to the now revealed cave, behind the waterfall. John spluttered and gulped in air, he was about to get off Morrisa when he found a range of spiked staffs in his face. He froze and the dragon growled. Sherlock poked his head round and coughed slightly to draw the attentions of the short men. One took a curious look at him then broke into a wide smile,

'Sherlock? Is that you?' The weapons were removed and the two men slid off the saddle. Now he was on solid ground, John could appreciate how small these men really were. _They're dwarfs, John, not men. _The blond blushed at his mistake and the elf chuckled.

* * *

><p>The three were led through many lengths of tunnels, John stayed as close to the dragon as possible while Sherlock talked animatedly with the various creatures that accompanied them. The doctor felt Morrisa contact Sherlock but she blocked him out so he couldn't hear what was said. He frowned and tried to push the barrier but failed epically and retreated back into the relative privacy of his mind. John kept his eyes to the floor, hoping that they got to where ever they were going soon because the closed space was being to get to him. He suddenly realised that he wasn't walking by himself anymore. Sherlock strode along side him, his hand wrapped round the doctors hip. He placed a kiss to his partners cheek,<p>

'You're not getting scared, are you?' He asked, mostly in jest.

'Not any more.' John replied, resting his head on the taller males shoulder. The dwarfs had turned round and watched with raised eyebrows but didn't say anything. John stepped away quickly and cleared his throat, remembering that humans didn't allow same sex couples. It wouldn't be that far a jump to say that dwarfs didn't either. One of the small creatures saw his distress and tried to help,

'No. It's not that we don't allow that or anything, it's just that he's-you know- an elf and elves are uptight. No offence. And well, we didn't think they would allow that kind of thing, you look a lot more like humans than we do. And you're not a full elf anyway, at least, I don't think you are. It's kind of hard to tell.' Sherlock chuckled,

'I didn't think you'd be this bashful, John.' He smirked. John glared and stood taller than before.

'I just didn't think it would be a good idea for a group of humans, who might attack us, find out that the dragon rider…riders are, well, gay. It won't help with our _winning them over_ scheme. After all, I was brought up that way and I'm still not used to this.' He huffed indignantly. The elf chuckled and held his hands up in surrender.

'Calm down, I didn't mean to offend you.' He said with a slightly joking tone. John let out a shaky breath.

'I know. I just. Just need some time to come to terms. I'll be fine.' The doctor put on his best smile, one that even Sherlock telling if it was fake or not.


	14. Chapter 14

14

The group came to a set of large sturdy doors. Sherlock pulled his partner in close then they both climbed back in Morrisa's saddle. John didn't know why they were getting back in the saddle but he wasn't going to ask. Sherlock chuckled and stroked his chin.

_We have to appear as dragon riders. And it's just another reason to show off._ John blushed, he'd forgotten about the mind thing. He'd have to ask Morrisa how to block his mind as there were some thoughts he'd really like to keep to himself. The doors opened, letting beams of light break through the widening gap. John squinted and put his hand up so that the shadow cast over his eyes. When the entrance was opened fully, Morrisa stepped forward.

* * *

><p>It took a moment for the doctors eyes to adjust but when they did he found himself face to face with a huge crowd. He looked at Sherlock who grinned wildly as he waved to the silent faces.<p>

_Go on, wave. They want you to._

_Shut up._ John waved anyway and the crowd burst into a cheer. They applauded and parted so that Morrisa could walk through. The two men on her back smiled at each other, though the blonde doctor was still indomitable with the fact that he had once again found the centre of attention. The dragon stopped when they reached a great red gem.

_That's Isidar Mithrim_ Morrisa said. _The star Safire. Probably the most prised possession of the dwarves. _John gazed in amazement. He had seen it in his partners minds but even elven and dragon memory couldn't compare with the stones true beauty.

'Wow. It's… It's beautiful.' John couldn't help but say.

'I'm glad you like it.' Said a man from the ground. Sherlock smiled down and slipped out of the saddle.

'Diren! How nice to see you.' The dark haired elf called. John gave a confused look.

_Sherlock doesn't like the common greeting when conversing with humans. They always say it wrong. So he did away with it many years ago. You should go down and meet the leader with him._ Morrisa said bending slightly low for the blond. John nodded and slide out of the saddle and landed softly by Sherlock's side. The taller male smiled and took his hand.

'Diren, allow me to present John Watson.' Sherlock said proudly. John somehow managed to hold back the blush as he held a hand out to shake with the leader. Diren was an average height for a human, he had tanned skin and short black hair. He also had the most amount muscle that John had ever seen on man. The leader looked at John with a puzzled expression.

'Can you really be an elf? I have never see a male with such light hair. And your name, it is human. What are you?' Diren asked. A low grumble radiated from the dragon. 'I'm sorry, I did not mean to offend.' John smiled.

'No, it's fine. You're right. I'm not actually a elf. I'm a dragon rider.' He answered. Diren immediately looked to the sky.

'So where is your dragon?' He asked. Sherlock chuckled.

'You humans are so narrow minded.' He said, mostly to himself.

_They are both mine and you would do well to remember that._ The dragons voice thundered through the minds of all those who had been following the conversation.

_Morrisa, be nice._ John said, turning to apologise to the leader. His apologies were waved away.

'Sherlock is right, we are too narrow minded.' Came the reply.

_I am tired of this. _Morrisa projected to her riders and Diren. _I'm going to retire to the cave._ Then she took off in the direction of the red Safire.

* * *

><p>A young man walked up to the two men in a slightly anxious manner.<p>

'Uh. I. Um. I heard that elves were the best fighters in the land. I've always wanted to fight one, just to see, so I was wondering if at some point during your stay one of you would possibly have a match with me?' The man asked, trying his best to be polite. Sherlock looked down his nose at the man. John held his breath, he knew how mean the elf could be.

'Do you have your sword?' Sherlock asked. The stranger nodded energetically, quickly grabbing a one handed sword from another man in the crowd which had now formed a large circle.

'Pass me your weapons.' John said to both the men. Sherlock did it unquestioningly but the stranger looked wary for a moment before conceding. The blond ran his hand over the metal edges, utter the words.

'I've dulled the blades but they can still break bones so be careful with them.' John said, passing the weapons back. Sherlock took up his stance- a position that John knew well- and the stranger took up his own.

'Start!' Diren called, as eager to she the elf in action as the rest of the population watching. John smiled as his partner took his first step in parallel with his young opponent.

The young man lunged but Sherlock gracefully stepped out of it's path in a sort of dance. He let his blade run down the length of the other weapon then swiftly flicked, launching the sword out of it's owners hand. He then moved in blur, stepping forward and tripping his opponent before placing the blade gently on his neck. John looked shocked. Sherlock had told him he was an exceptional fighter but he never believed the elf. Yet here, this man who had clearly fought all his life lasted less than three minutes were he had lasted so much longer. The crowd burst into applause.


	15. Chapter 15

15

'Sherlock wins.' Diren announced. 'Not surprisingly. But how would you fare against someone more like you?' The crowd turned to face the doctor who waved his hands slowly.

'No. Absolutely not.' He said. Sherlock smiled predatorily and turned to the men.

'Keep the circle, I'll be back in a moment.' Then he moved swiftly over to John, pulling himself flush against the shorter man.

'Please?' He purred. The doctor stared at him.

'No.' He answered adamantly.

'Please?' He asked again, letting his hands wander.

'Sherlock! Stop. And the answers still no.' The soldier ground out through gritted teeth.

'I'll make it up to you. They want to see a proper fight. It will win them over more. I will make it up to you.' John sighed. He still couldn't resist that childish voice.

'Fine.' He said, picking up his own weapon and blunting the edge. Sherlock almost skipped back into the ring. John followed him with a slightly more wary walk. The crowd waited in silent anticipation as the two dragon riders took up their stances.

'And start!' Diren yelled once more. Sherlock made the first move, stepping to the side and lunging. John waited until he was less than a metre away then he parried with his new lightning fast reactions and made a lunge of his own.

Now that the fight was in full force, John found himself laughing despite himself. Sherlock beamed as he spun into another attack which was effortlessly blocked by his blond partner. Five minutes had past and the crowd still looked as captivated as they were at the beginning. The two men danced around each other, bodies barely skirting as they passed. Sherlock lunged and slightly over stretched, causing himself to take another step. John smiled and swiped his weapon to his partners feet. Sherlock stumbled and John flipped his sword, hitting the dark haired elf to the ground with the handle while he held the blade, then he flipped it back and lightly tapped Sherlock's chest with tip. The elf looked up in awe as the crowd stood in stunned silence.

'John is the winner.' Diren said, his voice conveying his shock. John held out his hand for his partner who took it then leapt on the soldier. John grabbed the man, mostly out of habit, and glared at him.

'Sherlock, what the-?' He began to say. The elf was clinging to him, legs wrapped round his waist and arms over his shoulder.

'I love you. You always manage to surprise me.' Sherlock murmured.

'Yes, I love you too but could you please get off me. People are staring.' John answered in a mildly chiding tone. His partner leapt off with a grace that was impossible for such a spindly figure.

'So how did you do it?' The young man who had challenged Sherlock before asked. John smiled.

'I know Sherlock.' He answered. 'I also have near elven reactions so I can keep up. And I'm pretty sure he went easy on me.' Sherlock chuckled.

'Actually, no, I didn't. but I did make a stupid error of judgement. Don't worry though, it won't happen again.' The elf said, wrapping his arms around the smaller man and lightly hugging him. No one had asked about their current relationship. (Well, no one had asked John anyway. He assumed that they hadn't asked Sherlock either. Mostly because it seemed like the entire population was afraid of the elf.) Sherlock hadn't been very subtle about it and, too be honest, neither was John. They went everywhere together and Sherlock took every opportunity to mark John as his own. No matter who was watching.

* * *

><p>When the night finally loomed on Fathen Dur, Sherlock led his partner up to the cave Morrisa had talked about early. At first John didn't know how such a place could offer privacy as it was in a place that everyone could see but after the first five hundred steps he realised that most humans and dwarves would just give up and try to find another way in. The dragon greeted them in a sleepy daze and showed them to the bed she had had made up for them. Sherlock nodded, slightly distracted, and John glared at him before thanking her properly.<p>

_Don't apologise for him, John, I've known him long enough. And anyway, I know why he's distracted. Try to be a little quieter this time, Hmm?_ John blinked, his mind only clicked as he was towed to the bed by the elf.

'Sherlock. I don't think this is a good idea.' He stated. The taller male looked at him darkly, loosening their belts. It was clear he wasn't going to answer so John continued.

'Not that I don't want to but we are too loud. Everyone will here us. I don't think I'll be able to show my face if we wake everyo-.' John raced through the words, almost slurring them together. As he reached the last word, he was cut off by a piece of fabric being jammed into his mouth.

'There. You'll be quieter now.' Sherlock answered with an evil smirk.

_You bitch._ John projected, bringing his hands up to take the gag out. Sherlock quickly grabbed his hands and straddled him, pushing him down so he was flat on his back.

_Can I trust you not to remove it or do I have to tie your hands as well. You know I will. No you lie still and I'll do the work. I did say I owed you. And besides, you humans have awful sense of hearing. We could scream at the top of our lungs and without fear of disrupting the sleep of your fellow brothers and sisters._ The elf answered. The doctor immediately stopped struggling.

_Oh hell._ He thought as Sherlock nuzzled his neck, _So much for a good nights sleep._


	16. Chapter 16

16

The next morning, John woke up. One good thing from the night before's antics was that Sherlock had actually gone to sleep afterwards and was still asleep now. The doctor unwrapped himself from the elf's spindly limbs and walked out of the bedroom with a still limp. Morrisa chuckled when she saw him and he blushed.

_We weren't too loud, were we?_ He asked.

_No. No where near as bad as before. I doubt any humans below us heard you._ She replied. John sighed in relief.

_Ok, I'm going out for a bit. If Sherlock wakes up, I won't be long._ He projected before taking the steps down two at a time. When he reached the bottom, his limp had all but vanished, _thank God for that_, and he began to wander over to the training arena.

* * *

><p>Once he got there, he was surprised to note that he wasn't the only person there. The young man from before was busy hacking a manikin to pieces. John chuckled and the young man turned to him. He waved and walked over.<p>

'What's so funny?' He huffed.

'I know that look.' John replied. 'It's the look of someone who wants to beat a certain elf named Sherlock Holmes. What's your name, by the way?' The young man looked at him with an expression somewhere between annoyed and amazed.

'I'm Kian. He answered. 'And I'm only here to get better.' John smiled and stepped on to the field.

'It's ok cutting a manikin to pieces but that won't really help you on the battle field. You need to watch you opponents movements. You don't have the speed or the strength when you battle an elf so you need to have the tactics.' John said, picking up a staff and taking up a stance. Kian put the blade down and picked up another staff, obviously unused to carrying such a weapon.

'Using a staff helps you to hone in the skill of observation.' John said in a calming voice. 'You need to know what your opponent is going to do before he does it. So you must watch.' Kian lunged and John swiped the staff away before lunging himself and knocking the young man to the floor.

'Sherlock is better with the bow and arrow. He's skilled at long range attacks. It is important to know such a thing when trying to defeat him. It changes the whole way he looks at the battle.' The doctor said as he offered his hand to the man on the floor. 'I don't like fighting at all. Which means that when I fight I try to end it as quickly as possible with as little pain as possible. Those are my battle tactics in a nutshell.' John smiled.

'Giving hints to the enemy. That's not a very good battle tactic.' Sherlock called from the fence he sat on. The doctor grinned.

'Oh, come on Shirley, he's not the enemy. It was a friendly fight.' The elf sniffed and walked over, pulling his partner into him and leaning forward slightly.

'There's no such thing as a friendly fight.' He said using low tones in John's ear before nibbling on the lobe.

'Sherlock!' The blond dragon rider yelped, pushing him away. Sherlock winked,

'Just staking my claim.' The elf said innocently before he walked off, hips swaying slightly. John blushed and coughed.

'Sorry about him. He can be such a child at times.' He said to Kian. The young man grinned.

'I bet he can.' He murmured to himself. John chuckled.

'I guess I'd better follow him before he does something stupid.' The doctor sighed, picking up his staff and placing it with the others. Kian nodded.

'Of course. Thank you John Dragonrider.' He said, putting his staff back as well and turning to the people who seemed to have started to appear in the training arena.


	17. Chapter 17

17

John finally found his partner in the hall of Diren, talking vividly with the leader over a vast table of food. John was pleased to note that there was not a single plate with meat on it, Farthen Dûr had obviously had elven visitors before.

'Ah, John. Please sit and join us, I know you must be hungry. After all, the dwarves have gossiped more in the past few hours than I've heard in the entire time I've lived here. I will warn you now that they'll be wanting… erm, tips.' Diren said, looking slightly sheepish. John gave a confused look.

'Tips? Why would they want… Oh. Oh. Sherlock, I am going to kill you.' The doctor growled. The detective yelped and leapt out of the chair.

'And why, I never. I haven't done anything wrong.' He squeaked. His partner scowled at him. The fact that Sherlock's behaviour had changed drastically was enough for his partner to know he was lying. Badly.

'You knew. You git, you knew that the dwarves would hear. You _knew. _And what's worse, you knew I hadn't any idea.' He hissed. Sherlock shrugged.

'I'm an elf of my word, I never steered you wrong, just took you down the more interesting path.' He replied. John stopped suddenly and smiled wildly. The elf gave a confused look.

'What? What are you thinking? Tell me!' Sherlock demanded, his partner had somehow blocked him out mentally.

'If you're going to string me along then I think I'll spend tonight with my _brothers and sisters_ since you seem to know them better than I do.' The doctor said evilly. The elf looked at him in utter horror.

'You wouldn't.' He stuttered. This only spurred the blonds grin to grow.

'In fact, now I think about it, I'm ever so tired. I don't think I'll be able to get up those steps at all. For the whole time I'm here.' John said, staring contently at the look on Sherlock's face. The elf was thoroughly gob-smacked.

'Uh, should I leave you two to sort this out?' Diren asked, blush faintly evident on his face as he related with the elf. His wife had, on many an occasion, withheld sex as a punishment.

'No, no. It's all sorted now.' John said, waving away his concerns and picking up a slice of bread. 'Now we have to introduce ourselves properly to the dwarf king, it was rather rude of us not to yesterday.' He said, smiling at his partner and leaving the room. Sherlock watched him go with a sense of foreboding.

'You sure know how to pick 'em, Sherlock.' Diren said. 'I don't think I've ever seen such a fine specimen of a fighter and yet he as rather taken to the ficklety of the elven race. You're lucky to have him. Though I don't envy you at all right now.' He continued with a chuckle. The elf glared at him then sighed.

'I am so screwed.' He groaned. The leader smothered another laugh as his friend exited the hall with his usual, if slightly annoyed, grace.

* * *

><p>The two men stood outside the doors that lead to the dwarf kings hall. Sherlock gave his best sorry expression and begged for a whole five minutes for the doctor to reconsider but the blond refused to budge.<p>

'I'll beg properly.' Sherlock said as a lash ditch effort. 'On my knee's. I will, if it would make you forgive me.' John raised an eyebrow.

_Go on then._ He projected. The elf's eyes lit up as his knees hit the floor. His hands clasped in front of him and he stared straight into his partners eyes.

'I am so sorry, John.' He said, his voice providing just enough sound for the low tones to carry. 'I will never mislead you again. I promise. Please stay with me.' The doctor stared at him in silence for many moments before sighing in defeat.

'Ok.' He said. 'Ok, I forgive you. You can get up now.' The elf was on his feet with his lips firmly attached to the blonds'. From around them, small hands began clapping. John broke apart and looked at the small men who surrounded them. He felt the blush burning his face.

'Well now that you once again whole, the dwarf king will see you.' The guard at the door said. Sherlock smiled and nuzzled his partner. John could never stay mad at him for long and he had done far more humiliating acts for fun than getting on his knees in front of an audience.

_I can hear you. _John reminded him.

_I know. _He replied, stepping into the hall.


	18. Chapter 18

King Fyren sat on the stone throne at the end of the hall. He waited in silence as the two men walked til they stood in front of him. Then, after a little consideration, he pressed a hand to his lips. John smiled.

'You don't have to do that.' He said with a smile. 'Sherlock doesn't and he's an elf.' King Fyren nodded, removing his hand.

'I think on that sense at least we are two of the same likeness. What is the point of strange positions when you can speak your mind and get your point across.' The dwarf's low voice grated. Sherlock nodded with a huff of a laugh.

'But enough of this idle rumblings, we have much to discuss.' The king began. 'Do you wish to be seated? I can arranged something to be brought for you.' He asked, raising his hands to clap.

'No, it will be fine. We'll sit on the floor if it's all the same to you.' John replied. The dwarf lowered his hands with a flicker of confusion.

'If you wish, I suppose.' He replied. John smirked.

'We aren't as fragile or as prim as we seem.' He said. The dwarf king smiled as his reasoning was sussed. The two men at on the floor and shuffled til they were comfortable.

'Now that we're all settled, I have a few questions.' Fyren said. Sherlock nodded and gestured for him to begin. John smiled to show he was listening. They had decided that it was not there place to speak. Well, John had decided that. Sherlock was just being the arrogant git who was to lazy to use his vocal cords.

'First, how is your stay? I know you're not one to ask for things but if there is ever anything you need, you know were we are.' King Fyren said. Sherlock smiled.

'The room is perfect, as always, Our stay has been fine so far but I will not hesitate to ask should anything crop up.' He replied in his silky smooth voice.

_I thought the dwarfs hated elves for abandoning them and I thought they hated dragons. _John said using his mind.

_Normally that is the case but the dwarfs know me and all I have done for them, Morrisa as well, they dote upon me. _Came the answer.

'How long do you plan to stay with the Varden?' The dwarf asked.

'I would say a few months. Mycroft sent us saying that there was panic here. I've yet to see this panic so I'm wondering if my brother just wanted us out of the way.' Sherlock replied. The king huffed a laugh.

'I'm afraid your brother is right. There's been a mass state of unease among the humans. They seem to feel safer now that you are here but the threat is still there.' He said.

_What threat? _John projected to Sherlock, not wanting to ask out loud for fear of sounding like a complete idiot.

_For many years, they have been watching a settlement of slave traders who live just outside the entrance. The group knows that we're here and they know the general area where the entrance is but they've never actually found it. But, very passing week they get closer. _His partner replied.

_But they're just a group of slave traders. They've got no chance against a group this big. _The blonde said with confusion.

_That would be true if it were any other slave group. This group is over a four thousand strong. It's were all the slave traders in Alagaësia bring their cargo. And to make matters worse, they seem to have acquired magicians to their ranks. Powerful ones. _The elf answered. John nodded and returned to the dwarf king.

'And what can we do to help?' He asked. Fyren's laugh echoed round the stone hall, bouncing off the walls in all manner of directions.

'Just being here is enough.' The king chuckled. 'But I'm sure the humans would want you to get rid of the problem altogether. A nasty business this slave trading. I don't understand why humans do it.' He paused for a moment. 'We are holding a feast in two days. I hope you will both find the time to attend. It will be in the large all so there is enough room for Morrisa as well. It as been a long time since we've had guests.' Sherlock accepted almost immediately.

'Of course we'll attend, as long as more pressing issues don't force us away.' The dwarf king smiled, eyes sparkling.

Well, I guess that's all I wanted to see you for. It's been a long time, Vanyali, do find time to grace our halls before you leave again.' Both Sherlock and John looked at each other then bowed slightly and left the hall.


	19. Chapter 19

Once outside the dwarven tunnels, The two men were pounce on by a large dark skinned man.

'John, Sherlock, I had hoped I would find you.' He called in a rough voice. Sherlock dipped his head slightly.

'Milon, it is good to see you.' The elf replied. 'You've become the lead trainer for the army, I see. The last time I saw you, you were just passing into the fighting squadron.' The man smiled brightly at being recognised.

'Yes. But that was ten years ago. You haven't changed at all.' He replied. 'But talking about the squadron. They happened to see you two fighting and we were wondering if you wouldn't mind giving some lessons. Kian said that John was a very good teacher…' He trailed off and looked at the two dragon riders.

'I can't speak for Sherlock.' John said. 'But I would be happy to give some pointers.' Sherlock rolled his eyes good naturedly.

'I will also be there. Even if it's to keep your men off my partner.' He sighed. John gave him a glance which told him that there would be discussions later.

'Good,' Milon cried, 'When will you be ready?' The two dragon riders looked at each other.

'Now, I suppose.' Sherlock replied. Milon nodded and mumbled his thanks, dashing off to make preparations.

* * *

><p>Once he was out of sight, the lanky elf turned to his partner.<p>

'Well, I think we've just signed the rest of the day away. So if there's anything you want to do, we best do it now.' Sherlock whispered, running his fingers under the shorter males shirt. John opened his mouth to give a retort only to have the airway blocked by his partners tongue. It turns out the speaking while someone is trying to lick your tonsils is in fact incredibly difficult, as John found out when he tried to speak. The doctor pushed the lanky elf away slightly.

'Seriously, Sherlock?' He asked. 'We're out in public and I'm fine with my cross species sexuality but I'm not going to wave it in everyone else's faces. We still have to be considerate, you know.' The elf looked sheepish for a moment before ramming the doctor up against the nearest wall, attacking his neck with small nips and suckling kisses.

'Luckily for me, I've never been considerate.' He said between kisses while his hands slipped up underneath his partners clothes to the skin underneath. John gasped and the genius somehow saw this as an invitation to invade his mouth again. The doctor had given up all hope of stopping Sherlock and his body definitely wasn't complaining. He moaned and gasped the elf's hips, pulling him so they were standing flush against each other. A polite cough brought John back into reality and he pulled away to see who was there. A woman, clearly a warrior of some kind, was waiting with bright red cheeks.

'Um… Milon wants me to lead you to the squadron.' She said. John nodded and tried to push Sherlock away from him but the elf only put his hands on either side of the wall, continuing the onslaught of kisses. The doctor shot the woman an apologising glance.

'Just give me a moment.' He said softly before turning his attention back to his partner. He took a deep breath then flipped their positions, twisting Sherlock so that he was also facing the walls with his hands being held behind his back.

'Right then, now I have you're attention, you may have the newly discovered sex drive of a common rabbit but I'm not a thing for you to jump on when you feel like it. Ok? Especially in public when we are meant to be somewhere else doing something that you agreed to.' He growled. Sherlock whimpered and John let him go, turning back to the now completely gob smacked face of the woman with a dazzling smile.

'Ok, lead the way.' He said, gesturing with a hand.


End file.
